Gridserve reveals ‘future blueprint’ compact Electric Forecourt in Norwich

Gridserve has opened a new Electric Forecourt EV charging centre in Norwich. The site is Gridserve’s first ‘compact’ Electric Forecourt, occupying a smaller site than its first site in Braintree, which opened last year.

Gridserve has also opened a new ultra-fast charging station at Moto Thurrock services on the M25, near the Dartford Tunnel. Located between junctions 30 and 31, the site features 12 chargers with up to 350kW of power, the fastest currently available.

The new investments are part of a £1 billion UK-wide investment into electric vehicle charging infrastructure by the company.

The Norwich Electric Forecourt is one of the most advanced electric vehicle charging facilities in the world, with 36 chargers. Of these 22 offer 350kW charging, which can add up to 100 miles of range in only five minutes on compatible cars. There are also eight Tesla Superchargers and six lower-powered chargers. Gridserve said it was “a blueprint for towns and cities across the UK”.

Norwich and the East of England region currently have comparatively low EV charger coverage of just 29 chargers per 100,000 people compared to the UK average of 42 per 100,000 people, or 102 per 100,000 people in London.

The Norwich Electric Forecourt is designed as an EV experience destination, where visitors without electric cars can find out more about them, and chat with impartial EV experts about charging or vehicle leasing options. The site includes branches of Costa Coffee, M&S Food and WHSmith, along with super-fast wifi and bookable meeting pods. In the coming weeks, visitors will also be able to test drive the latest electric cars through Gridserve Car Leasing.

Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve, said: “Norwich Electric Forecourt showcases a brand new design, where we have been able to provide both charging and a great customer experience in a smaller footprint than our first site at Braintree. By elevating the facilities above the chargers, we make the best use of the space available and are able to deliver a great EV experience without compromise, even when space is at a premium and sites are more constrained.”

Norwich Electric Forecourt is located at Broadland Gate Business Park in Postwick, NR13 5HB, next to the A47. Gridserve is building a third Electric Forecourt at Gatwick Airport, and is planning to open further sites in Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Stevenage. More than 30 additional sites are under development as part of the company’s commitment to build at least another 100 of the charge hubs.